1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hand washing equipment. In particular, it relates to a portable hand washing station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable hand washing equipment is desirable for use in recreational, emergency, and temporary service applications. Such equipment is well known in the art, and typically includes the essential component parts of a lavatory having a water supply and spigot to control the flow of water from a liquid flow tube.
Once such device is disclosed, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,358,937, issued to Curliss. This device is a portable lavatory having a water receptacle, with a tiller cap top opening, and a swing down front tray. The receptacle includes a lower discharge opening with a water spigot for discharging water into the tray. The receptacle includes an air vent and an accessory spring clamp, for holding a towel. The tray is pivotally and slidably mounted on the receptacle, and is adapted to operate so that the air vent is closed when the tray is fastened to the receptacle in an upright vertical closed position.
Improvements to the portable lavatory concept include the addition of a hand drying apparatus. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,411, to Johnson, discloses a portable hand washing and drying station with a front hand-receiving-opening in communication with a central hand washing compartment. Above the hand washing compartment is an upper compartment with a cleansing liquid reservoir, a spigot-controlled flow tube for delivering cleansing liquid from the reservoir to the hand washing compartment, and an electrically powered fan for air drying the hands to be washed. The reservoir and fan are supported on a shelf which slides into and out of the housing. Situated below the hand compartment is a removable waste liquid receptacle for temporarily storing used the cleansing liquid.
Another such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,327, to Moceri et al. There, a portable and compact hand washing station is disclosed for use in training children. The station includes a main housing with a basin, a drain hole disposed in the basin, and a back splash panel projecting behind and above the basin. Support legs support the main housing. A reservoir is disposed in the back splash panel, and a spigot is in fluid communication with the reservoir. The spigot extends over and empties into the basin. When one positions one of the support legs inside a bathtub or shower, fluid entering the basin by gravity, from the reservoir and through the open-able spigot, exits via the drain hole, and empties into the bath tub or shower.
While the foregoing examples offer some utility, and together typify the existence of the background art as it relates to the field of the present invention, the prior art devices necessitate the use of either large water containing reservoirs and/or a plumbing connection. Moreover, such devices are difficult to clean, extremely heavy and not easily transported, and are easily contaminated in use from one individual to another. Moreover, they do not provide for separate cleaning and rinsing reservoirs which are interchangeable for use in a wide variety of applications, such as for the removal of grease and grime and/or for the purpose of disinfection in the food service, emergency services, or recreational industries. Thus, what is needed is a portable hand washing station which is self contained, easy to clean, reduces cross-contamination, but which is also easy to transport and provides low-volume and interchangeable cleaning and rinsing reservoirs for use in a wide variety of applications. The present invention satisfies these needs.